From the Mount Olive Police Chief’s Desk

In 2021, Mount Olive had nine (9) reported thefts of motor vehicles. These thefts occurred during daytime as well as nighttime hours. In the majority of these cases, cars were left unlocked and some had the keys inside. In addition to potentially having your car and/or valuables stolen, people run the risk of criminals using their garage door opener to enter their home. Living on the western end of Morris County does not make us immune from auto theft and other crimes. 

In late December 2021, a stolen car was driven to Sparta where one of the passengers was dropped off in a neighborhood and stole a car. The stolen car dropping off that car thief, then drove to the Flanders section of town and dropped off someone else. That individual stole a car. Police Departments across the state are seeing a similar trend in their jurisdictions. A rental or stolen car transports individuals to jurisdictions to steal cars. There is money to be made, and these criminals are not shy about traveling to western portions of the state to commit crimes of opportunity.

In New Jersey the Use of Force and Pursuit policy was updated in December 2020. That policy states “There shall be a strong presumption against the initiation of vehicular pursuits based solely on motor vehicle violations.” This means officers may attempt to stop a car but once evasive maneuvers on the drivers’ part are initiated, officers may not pursue those cars. Officers are also prohibited from pursuing vehicles merely because they are stolen. It is my opinion that the criminals know this and are emboldened by it. 

I am concerned about the way these stolen vehicles are operated. They are often driven at high speeds in a reckless manner, putting the safety and welfare of the public at risk. Stolen vehicles have become a public menace on our roadways.  

In addition to cars being stolen we continue to see valuables that are left within view stolen from vehicles, even those that are locked. In addition to this occurring in residential areas, we have seen this happen in shopping areas and when people are at the gym. Having property stolen is a tremendous inconvenience to our residents and increases the potential for identity theft. 

 The Mount Olive Police Department is asking our residents to be vigilant about locking their cars and leaving valuables out of view. Doing so will help prevent you from being a victim and assist us in keeping stolen cars off our roadways.